e maid? Are you warm, little red cheeks?"

The little maid could hardly speak. She was nearly dead, but she
answered,--

"Warm, dear Frost; warm, little father."

Frost climbed lower in the tree, and crackled louder than ever, and
asked,--

"Are you still warm, little maid? Are you warm, little red cheeks?
Are you warm, little paws?"

The little maid was benumbed all over, but she whispered so that Frost
could just hear her,--

"Warm, little pigeon, warm, dear Frost,"

And Frost was sorry for her, leapt down with a tremendous crackle and
a scattering of frozen snow, wrapped the little maid up in rich furs,
and covered her with warm blankets.

In the morning the old woman said to her husband, "Drive off now to
the forest, and wake the young couple."

The old man wept when he thought of his little daughter, for he was
sure that he would find her dead. He harnessed the mare, and drove off
through the snow. He came to the tree, and heard his little daughter
singing merrily, while Frost crackled and laughed. There she was,
alive and warm, with a good fur cloak about her shoulders, a rich
veil, costly blankets round her feet, and a box full of splendid
presents.

The old man did not say a word. He was too surprised. He just sat in
the sledge staring, while the little maid lifted her box and the box
of presents, set them in the sledge, climbed in, and sat down beside
him.

They came home, and the little maid, Martha, fell at the feet of her
stepmother. The old woman nearly went off her head with rage when she
saw her alive, with her fur cloak and rich veil, and the box of
splendid presents fit for the daughter of a prince.

"Ah, you slut," she cried, "you won't get round me like that!"

And she would not say another word to the little maid, but went about
all day long biting her nails and thinking what to do.

At night she said to the old man,--

"You must take my daughters, too, to that bridegroom in the forest. He
will give them better gifts than these."

Things take time to happen, but the tale is quickly told. Early next
morning the old woman woke her daughters, fed them with good food,
dressed them like brides, hustled the old man, made him put clean hay
in the sledge and warm blankets, and sent them off to the forest.

The old man did as he was bid--drove to the big fir tree, set the
boxes under the tree, lifted out the stepdaughters and set them on the
boxes side by side, and drove back home.

T